Improved cabinet-bedstead



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IMPROVED CABINE'lE-BEDSTEAD.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same,

To all to whom these presents shall come:

Be it knowuthat I, SANFORD S. BURR, of Dedham, in the county of Norfolk/and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have made an invention ofa new and useful Cabinet or Secretary Bedstead; and do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, dile reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, and in whichi .Figure -1 is a perspective representation of my invention, in an open or extended state, and ready fo occupancy; Y

Figure 2 being a vertical section of the same, in a contracted or closed state.

The purposes of a cabinet or secretary-bcdstead,;so called, are well known. As their object is to economize room, and enable an apartment to serve the double purpose of a living and a sleeping-room, it naturally happens that'the class of persons who purchase them are those who, from necessity or choice, practice domestic retrenclnnent and economy.

The necessities of a greater portion of this class preclude the possession of an ornamental or expensive article of furniture, and the principal object I have had in view has been`mainly to reduce to practical low cost and simplicity an article of furniture which has heretofore been an expensive one, and, scondarily, to reduce the bulk of such articles as compared with others of its class.

In carrying out my present invention, I produce a shell or case, shown at A in the `accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, such shell or case, upon its exterior, being made in imitation of a cabinet or other analogous article of household-fumiture.

A supe1structure,ofay desired design or purpose, may be added to this cabinet, but whether such superstructure be abook-case, side-board, or other design, it has no connection with this invention, and may be addedor not,according to the means or desires ofthe owner.

In cabinet-bedsteads, as heretofore constructed, so far as my knowledge extends, if any attempt has been made to reduce the length of the bed-b0ttom, when inserting it within its receiving-shell or'strncture, such contraction has beeneifected by dividing such bottom in the centre, or thereabouts, and hinging the two portions endwise together.

This of necessity requires double the depth .of space for the reception ofthe bed-bottom than would be the case were such bottom not divided and folded.

By my construction of the bed-bottom, I obtain the advantage of the reduced height resulting from the folding of the same, without the increase of depth usually ensuing from the doubling of it, and I attain this object by making .such bed-bottom intwo or more sections, united by tongned and grooved rails, in such manner as to permit ot' an endwise contraction of its length, without increase dfits depth, the slats being combined with such folding frame by a 'method which enables them to conform themselves automatically to its varying contractions or expansions.

The bed-bottom, as shown in the accompanying drawings, is composed of two portions, each being a rectangular frame, a a', one of these frames, or the inner one, a', beingof less widtlrthan its fellow,` in order to slide within it. Y

These horizontal frames are united by an intermediate bar, b, provided with longitudinal tongues or splines upon each side, a groove, c, being formed in the contiguous face of each...s iderail dor d of the frames a a to receive these tongues.

This construction and arrangement of the frames a aand grooved bar b produce a strong and 'stiff frame for a bed-bottom, and enables the whole to be expanded or contracted in length, as the case may be.

` Furthermore, I dispose upon theupper surface ot' the frames a a', a series'of transverse slats e e, Snc., and I secure such plurality of slats together by elastic cords ff, secured to each, the extremities 'of these cords being made fast to the head and foot-boards g le, which compose the opposite'extremities ofthe flames a a'.

I also dispose upon the upper surface of each slat a number of upright coiledsprings, it', Sac., such springs, in aggregate, forming an elastic foundation for a mattress, a suitable sacking, j, being extended.overthese springs and from the head to the foot-board of the bed-bottom, and secured in a suitable manner to each.

' It will be apparent that by the inode of applying 4the slats and sacking to twoframes a, a', that such constituent parts will accommodate themselves automatically to the separation or contraction of such frames.

The inner frame a' is hinged at its under part to the lower part of the case of the structure, or to the upper edge ofthe ledge k, forming the lower boundary ofthe bed-receiving opening of such case,- in order to raise the bed-bottom some distance above the door, the frame a' protruding inwardly beyond such ledge to a distance equal to the height of the latter from the floor. As a certain portion of the lower part of the case A must be devoted to the reception ofthe length of the mattress in excess of that of the bed-bottom in its shortest condition, an aperture would be left between the foot-board and the front boundary of such case when the bed-bottom was in a horizontal position.

In order to cover this aperture at s'uch times, and to prevent sagging of the end of the mattress, I .pivot a shelf, l, to the interior of the case, and directly over l this aperture.

When the bed-bottom is lowered and extended, this shelf l is to be lowered into a horizontal position, as shown in fig. l ofthe drawings, which brings it nearly to a level with the upper ends of the springs i i, and enables it to serve as a rest tothe end ofthe mattress.

^ When about to close the bed-bottom within the case A, this shelf should be raised into a verticaly position against the front of the structure, as shown in iig. 2 ot' the drawings, in which condition it is ont of the Way' of thebedding.

As the ledge la serves as a support to the inner end of the bed-bottom, we must provide a support also for its opposite endin order to secure a horizontal position, and-this I accomplish by pivot-ing two legs m m within slots a n', made through the outer rail o of the frame a, or the portion of such rail projecting outwardly beyond the head-board.

' The legs, when turned into a position flush with the rail, should fill the slots in order to present a finished appearance, and when turned down into a perpendicnlar position, shall raise the end of the bed-bottom from the floor, as shown in fig. l of the drawings.

Although, in the accompanying drawings, 1 have represented the case of the structure opening at the front, it nia-y open at the rear, though in practice the former mode will undoubtedly be found preferable.

I would remark that circumstances may render it desirable to cut away a portion of the top of' the cabinet, shown at p in the drawings, and compel the headboard of the bed bottom to supply the vacancy.

By' the above-described arrangement of parts, am enabled to reduce to a considerable extent the depth ofthe case A, as compared with others of itsclass, or should I retain the ordinary depth of such case, I can avoid crowding or squeezing into a small compass or the bedclothing,; as now practiced, and obtain a roomy and ventilated interior to the case.

A cabinet-bedstead made as above described, while enabling me to producea bed-bottom equally luxurious with the most costly, also enables me to finish thev whole device at a very small comparative cost, or suficiently so to place it within the means of a large class of the `populationV to whom such articles have heretofore been shut out on account of their high cost.

I claim-- 1. A cabinet or secretary-bedst-ead, composed of a case or structure, A, and a divided bed-frame, which,

while hinged to said 'case so as to be turned bodily np or down upon its pivot, is also capable of longitudinal expansion and contraction, substantially as and for the purpose herein shown and described.

2. A hed-bottom for cabinet or secretaryfbedsteads, composed of two endfframes, united by a tongued rail, as explained, or its equivalent, and provided with the transverse slats e, secured together' by the elastic cords v j, and provided with the springs fi, overlaid by the 

